High Schools: Quick Transition For Young Coach

August 18, 2008|By DAVE JOHNSON, djohnson@dailypress.com - 247-4649

NEWPORT NEWS — Sitting in the head-coach's office on a Friday morning, an hour of so before practice was to begin, Marcellus Harris III could easily pass for one of his players. A senior, maybe, who had shown up a little early and dropped by for a conversation.

At 30, Harris is the youngest coach in the Peninsula District, and he'll need all the youthful energy he can muster. He's taking over a 3-7 team that lost 22 seniors and hasn't been to the playoffs since 1992. And he had all of 22 days between the day he was hired and the day Denbigh began preseason practice.

So how's it going?

"It's going," Harris said. "The kids are excited. It's been hard for them every day the past couple of weeks. They're picking up more and more, and there's been a lot of stuff thrown at them. There's a different set of terminology and a new language.

"The coaches are still getting to know the kids, and the kids are still getting to know the coaches. We're trying to take it slow, but we're throwing a lot at them at the same time. I know there's been some confusion at times with everything being new."

Seventy-five kids came out for the first week of practice, and eventually they will be split into varsity and junior-varsity squads. (Harris hopes to have at least 45 on the varsity). Every other day, it seems, somebody new shows up. Harris said many of his veteran players, lineman Ben Jones and Da'Jhi Hollis in particular - have been working the phones to recruit classmates.

On the day he was hired, Harris knew what he was up against. But the transition has gone a little better than expected.

"It hasn't been as hard as I initially thought it would be," he said. "Once I met with the kids, I knew they would be willing to do what they needed to do. There isn't a whole lot of time, and we're still implementing things with the kids. We're still teaching them what we're doing on offense and defense.

"We have a lot of young players and a lot of first-year players, but they've been very enthusiastic. Always saying 'Yes, sir,' 'No, sir.' They're trying to absorb everything we're doing."

Harris said the PD's four other coaches from Newport News have been willing to help - within reason, of course.

"Coach Robinson has helped me a lot," said Harris, referring to Heritage's Jason Robinson. "He was one of the first to call me and talk with me about the ins and outs of being a head coach."

Harris also has leaned on Warwick coach Stan Sexton, who he assisted a year.

"He has a real good knowledge of the game," Sexton said. "He's a very quiet person and doesn't raise his voice a lot. People talk about (Chicago Bears coach) Lovie Smith and (Indianapolis Colts coach) Tony Dungy - that's the way he is. Very soft spoken, gets his point across."

Might Harris lose that calm demeanor as a head coach?

"No, I don't think he will," Sexton said. "He won't change his personality. That's the way he is."

Tommy Reamon, who coached Harris in high school and gave him his first assistant job at Warwick, agreed.

"He's a player's coach," Reamon said. "He's going to have great interactions and relationships with the kids."

Though Harris is a first-year head coach, he does have some knowledge of the district. He was an assistant at Warwick for five seasons (one under Sexton, four under Reamon). Before that, he was a star wide receiver at Ferguson High, where he was an All-PD receiver. He caught 38 passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.

The season opens in 11 days, ready or not. And for Harris, the past few weeks have been a blur.

"We've been having fun," he said. "But we've been serious, too. The kids' attitude has been great and they've worked hard. With such little time, they've had to learn on the fly."